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Scripture Reading:
Romans 5:1-2(New International Version)
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1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
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Thought for the day:
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Yesterday, we looked at the meaning of the word ‘boast’ and found that it is actually tied closely to the word ‘glory’. Please allow me the liberty to make one last comment on the subject of ‘our glory’ before we move on to ‘God’s glory’.
When referring to my friend in work yesterday, I mentioned he had a wide grin on his face. I’d go as far to say that he was ‘beaming’. Have you heard that word before? I guess that at its heart it signifies that there is something radiating from someone. It’s as if there are beams of light emanating from the face. In the Old Testament book of Exodus we read of Moses’ face being ‘radiant because he had spoken with the Lord’. Moses looked ‘glorious’ but the reason behind this was very clear – he’d spoken with the Lord. Moses was literally beaming as a result of his encounter with the Almighty God.
I’m not saying that we would be exactly the same as Moses, but if people are not able to see a difference in us after our personal experiences with God, then I think something is very wrong. Pregnant women are known ‘to glow’ as a result of the new life that miraculously is developing inside them. What happens to our demeanour or attitude in response to our own ‘new creation’ inside of us?
Over the next couple of days, we will be looking at the whole subject of ‘hope’ but today I want to briefly introduce the hope of God’s glory. Can you imagine what it would be like to see God in all His glory? I struggle to comprehend what that involves and I’m brought to my knees in prayer thinking of that moment when I stand before Him face to face. I’ve already mentioned that to a certain degree, we are now being blessed with an experience of God’s glory as it is revealed in the lives of others and through the wonders of creation. Note though, what verse 2 actually says. We don’t rejoice in God’s Glory, we rejoice in the HOPE of God’s Glory. Life is wonderful now, but we are overjoyed when we reflect on the certainty of what is ahead of us. We will be in the presence of the God of all creation and we will see Him as He is. Wow.
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Prayer and Application:
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The words of the song ‘I can only imagine’ express the concept that we will have no idea of how we will respond when we see Jesus. Will I dance before Him? Will I fall to my knees in worship? I don’t know but I do know that it will be amazing!
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